2014 Countdown to Kickoff

It was a .500 regular season and a quick first-round exit from the district playoffs for Lampeter-Strasburg last fall. But the Pioneers, as usual, were super competitive in their fourth year in the Section 2 ranks. Plus, the L-L League got a first-hand look at a seriously up-and-comer QB in Collin “Bear” Shank, who had a major breakout season throwing and running the football. Can L-S get back with the lead pack this season and make a deeper playoff run this time around? With “Bear” running the show, anything is possible. The Pioneers’ Countdown to Kickoff preview is below.

Shank will get plenty of help in the backfield from holdovers Souders and Landis, who combined for 540 yards and 4 TD last fall. But expect the Pioneers to do most of their damage through the airwaves, with Sindorf (11-258, 3 TD last fall), Souders and Landis — among plenty of others — getting touches via catches out of L-S’s quick-strike pistol attack.

And this: Shank has vet linemen Buchanan, Hirst, Kreider and Hilliker all returning to block. That’s a big plus. L-S averaged 322 yards and 29 points per game last season. With Shank at the controls, expect those numbers to go up.

DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW: L-S is ahead of the curve in two areas. First, Buchanan (85 tackles, 3 ½ sacks) and Hirst (62 tackles) return at inside ‘backer to spearhead a unit that will play out of multiple front-4 sets. Plus, Landis (14 tackles) returns at OLB, giving L-S three vet seek-and-destroyers.

Second, the secondary is in the very capable hands of returning cover corners Souders (49 tackles, 1 pick) and Sindorf (30 tackles), another bonus. Kreider (25 tackles, 1 sack) is the lone returning front-4 type, so keep an eye on that group early on.

BIGGEST GAME: October 10 vs. Manheim Central. Pick a week, any week, and there will be a monster Section 2 game — or two, or more — on the slate. This one should go a long way in determining the section champ. Don’t forget: L-S won Section 2 titles in 2010 and 2011. And from the looks of it, the Pioneers have the weapons to make another run at it this time around.

REINHART’S CRYSTAL BALL: Probably not going to peg the Pioneers as Section 2 favorites — not with defending champ Manheim Central reloaded and reigning runner-up Cocalico still in good shape. But I fully expect L-S to be running with the lead pack come October.

Opening with Section 1 stalwarts Hempfield and Penn Manor back-to-back out of the non-league chute should have the Pioneers primed for the section race. And with Shank at the controls, with two years of Section 2 wars under his belt, and with some familiar weapons at his disposal, L-S isn’t going to sneak up on anyone, anymore.